Update (in photos)

Hanging with Adam & Linz!

Looks who's in the shopping cart now!

Our adorable niece and me.

Such a cute pic!

At an NLDS game

In Vegas for Mark's birthday

Lucky guy!

With a random relic at the House of Blues Foundation Room.

Having a good 'ole time!

Mark & the Strip

We wandered through the closed restaurant and found a collection of empty wine buckets, a perfect place for Mark to relieve himself!

Self-Portrait!

Like a vacation

Mark had Monday and Tuesday off this week and, boy, does that make today feel like a Monday! I go back to school (at the university) next week so I'm very thankful to have felt like we were on vacation.

We woke up somewhat early on Monday with a list of errands to run. We dropped Mark's car off at the dealership to get his a/c fixed (it hasn't been working for a few weeks) and Mark got a haircut. We then went to Home Depot and ordered a door with a doggie door already installed in it rather than having Mark's dad saw the hole himself, which was the original plan. We also got a new toilet seat as I had broken the last one by standing on it and cleaning the walls. Apparently, I twisted one way and the seat went the other, causing the screw that holds the lid to the seat to break.

After lunch, we embarked on our major endeavor of the day: purchasing a new suit for Mark. We went to an outlet mall not far from us to get an idea of prices then headed to Hollywood, a suit outlet mecca. I must say that, even though we are SoCal residents, walking the star-lined streets of Hollywood is still pretty cool. We went to an additional four stores and Mark had decided on a classic black suit until he tried on a super-sharp grey, pin-striped Hugo Boss. It was the suit that fit him the best all day long and he really looked handsome in it. He was a bit afraid that grey, pin-stripes don't go with enough colors of shirts and ties but I reassured him that, according to Stacey and Clinton, it would be considered a neutral and that he could wear any shirt and tie with it. We left the store for a minute to discuss and then he called his friend Andy to gets the man's perspective. He decided to get it and I think it guarantees that heads will turn when he walks into a room (as if they don't already!).

Being that we were in Hollywood and it was already close to 5, we decided to get some food and drinks and wait for traffic to lighten up. We went to this really neat German bar where the bartender and the regulars are all from Germany. The food was great - even better than Frankenmuth! After braving the freeway, we took a short nap then met up with Mark's GM, Will, at BJ's then closed down The Powwow Saloon, where they have karaoke every night! We finally crashed close to 3:30.

Tuesday morning we forced ourselves out of bed early and went for a quick greasy breakfast since I was feeling a bit queasy from over-indulging the night before and he was moving pretty slowly. We then hit the road to meet up with our friends Dave and Robin and their adorable daughter, Riley, in Del Mar (about an hour and a half south of us, close to San Diego). Robin's brother is the deputy chief of the life guards on his stretch of the beach so we had a prime spot close to the tower. The water was beautiful! So clean. And the waves were totally within my comfort zone, which is really great! After a quick, hangover-curing dip, I got comfortable with Robin, her sister-in-law, and the baby (who was safe under an umbrella) and caught some major rays. Mark, on the other hand, went boogie-boarding for a bit then went out with Robin's lifeguard brother, his 7-year-old son, and Dave for his first surfing lesson. He had a wonderful time and came back to shore exhausted but super excited to try it again sometime very soon. We all then went for a fabulous dinner and margaritas and drove home, where we fell into a deep sleep no later than 10:30! It is almost inconceivable that Mark be asleep by 10:30. I guess the surfing really did take a lot out of him!
This morning, as Mark was getting ready for work, we were talking about how nice the last two days were and how much like a vacation they felt like. We felt rested and he felt ready to deal with the restaurant for the next few days.

Another GREAT weekend

We spent this past weekend in Michigan and had such a great time. I was very, very hard to leave and I'm still emotional about being back home already.

Our pictures are on our shutterfly site (www.lajcisinlove.shutterfly.com )
Password: missymark0811. Enjoy!

St. Patty's Day Fun!

Mark and I woke up early Tuesday morning (after Mark went to sleep at 4:30!) and headed to Arizona for a Dodgers Spring Training game against the Cubs. Unfortunately, we lost. But, we had a great time checking out the beautiful new digs in Glendale. This is the first year that the Dodgers are training in AZ. They had previously held camp in Vero Beach, Florida. Many die-hard fans were upset by the move as it meant a shift in tradition, but it's nice for us fans who can't get away for longer than a couple of days at a time to check out a game. Mark and I looked at this two-day trip as the first of many, hopefully we'll be able to make it once a year.

After the game, we went to our hotel which was not too far away at all. After checking in and greenifying ourselves for the festivities, we walked to the Westgate City Center for a night of good 'ole Irish fun!

First, we hit the quad area in the middle of all of the shops, bars, and restaurants where they were giving away free green beer and listened to some live music. Next, we were off to a place called Bar Louie for dinner and another round of beer and music. We then went to a place called Hell's Half Acre where we had more beer (shocker!) and a more live music (the band at this place was great - they played some really great covers and kicked up the energy level of the night). We were astonished when we got our bill at this place, 3 Guiness and 3 Killians for $15! In fact, the entire evening was extremely affordable for the two of us, considering one drink in L.A. runs between $10-$15 at many places. After the band finished up, we were off to a dueling piano bar called The Shout House but not before Mark snapped a couple of pictures of me on the strippers pole that beckoned to me the entire time we were at the bar - classy, I know, but these people will never see me again anyway!

The Shout House was really fun, as dueling piano bars always are and then it was back to Bar Louie for one last drink and a little more grub. Finally, we walked back to our hotel and hit the hay.

The next day, we woke up slowly, enjoyed our free hotel breakfast and then, hangover free (thank goodness!), drove from our hotel to ASU to check out how much campus has changed. It was crazy to drive past the places where I lived and worked more than 7 years ago (it's CRAZY how long I've been in L.A.!). It felt like just yesterday until we'd turn a corner to see an enormous new building. The street where the pizza guy would deliver is no longer in front of my apartment! In its place is a cable car/electric train track. Craziness. We also went by my dad's old house, which I almost passed on the street and checked out how much the surrounding area had developed. There was still a fair amount of desert when they left AZ but it is now all built up and seriously almost unrecognizable.

In all, we had a fantastic time. The weather was beautiful and we drove all the way back home with the top down on Mark's car - enjoying the desert, the sunset, and the stars. On the drive home, we talked about how our next St. Patty's Day may very well be much, much different and how our life is going to change in the next year or two. As much fun as we had, we are both so super excited for the adventures that are ahead for us on this crazy road called life.

Pictures!!!

Check out our new picture share website at: http://lajcisinlove.shutterfly.com/

Shh...the password is missymark0811 (all lowercase)

The Best Vacation Ever!

9,000 miles over 4 weeks in a rental car - $450

Gas for those miles - $1000

A shot of Louis XIII for my husband on our anniversary - $130

Penthouse suite in Petosky - $35

Tickets to a Broadway show - $100

Spending an entire month with my husband, family and friends - PRICELESS

Game Plan

We are leaving for our roadtrip of a lifetime TOMORROW!!! Well, technically, extremely early on Wednesday morning. Here's some of the nitty-gritty info:

* We have decided to rent a car to travel in. Mark's dad's cousin works form Hertz so she is able to get us a family discount plus she's getting us a free upgrade to a small SUV (like a Honda CR-V or Ford Escape). We will be picking up a midsize car at Hertz here in Downey on Tuesday morning but I will then be driving it out to the Ontario airport location (about an hour from here) to trade it in for the SUV. I will then spend the day packing and making it comfy and cozy while Mark works his last shift until September 3.

* We WILL be bringing the dog with us. We went back and forth about this for awhile but the thought of leaving him home for almost a month just killed us. Yes, Mark's parents will be around to feed him but it is a really long time for us to leave him alone. He will be travelling with us and camping with us until the 3rd. We will then be taking him to his home away from home - my mom's. Doing it this way, we will have him with us for a couple of days and then he'll be with my mom then we'll be with him again thus avoiding an excessive amount of time away from us.

* King and I will be picking Mark up from work on Tuesday night/Wednesay morning and the three of us will immediately hit the road. We are planning on driving as far and for as long as possible without checking into a motel. If we feel the need to stop, of course we will but we want to get to Michigan asap!

Our itinerary looks something like this:
July 31-August 3: Camping
August 3-4: At my mom's
August 5-8: No plans
August 9: Party at my mom's
August 10: Becky's baby shower at my mom's
August 11: Our anniversary! Staying the night & having dinner at the Ren Cen.
August 12-14(ish): Spending time with Mike & Kristi
August 15-17: Madison for Karen's wedding!
August 18-20: Driving to Boston, spending time with Darin & Millie
August 20-21: Driving to NYC for the night
August 22: Back to my mom's
August 23: Leaving to come back to L.A.
August 26: Return the rental car

Wow, writing it all out like this makes me feel like we aren't going to have enough time but, then again, it's almost a full month! Can't wait to see everyone!!!!

More Pictures

I just got our waterproof cameras developed and uploaded the pictures onto the computer. I wanted to share some pics from the waterfalls, the pool, and the Caribbean...

Mmmm, banana coladas!

Jamaica, Mon!

As you know, Mark and I just returned from our FREE trip to Jamaica and, boy, was it great! We arrived at the airport in Montego Bay to be whisked away (well, after spending 45 minutes to get through customs and immigration) to the Sandals welcome center. They had little finger sandwiches, soda, and, of course, Red Stripe (hooray beer!).

We were then taken to our resort which was all of a ten minute drive from the airport. Since this vacation was "replacing" the one we paid for on our honeymoon and because we spared very little expense for our honeymoon, we again had a concierge suite. The biggest benefit to having this room is the check-in and check-out process. We were served champagne, beer, and rum punch in a beautiful, air-conditioned lounge while the concierge took care of everything and those guests who didn't splurge were left sitting outside in the humidity. After checking in we were given a tour of the resort and I was able to taste my first banana colada since our honeymoon (I'd been craving one for months!). We were then taken to our room where our bags were already waiting.
We quickly changed into our swimsuits and made our way to the swim up bar in the pool. As you can tell from the picture, it was slightly overcast but the cloud cover didn't put any kind of a damper on how excited we were to be there. The whole trip, we kept reminding each other how lucky we felt to be there and how wonderful is was that we got two honeymoons for the price of one! Dinner on Friday night was a Caribbean beach party theme right on the beach and they had all kinds of food - including Jamaican jerk chicken (yum!) and freshly cut coconuts to drink from.
After dinner, we hit the pub at the resort where we met a really nice couple from New York and ended up closing down the place with them. The guys who worked in the pub made our trip so much fun! The bartender was pouring drinks with bottles and glasses on his head, the servers had a dance off, it was a blast! We topped the night off with some flaming Bob Marley shots. They tasted like peppermint or cinnamon. Mark didn't get to taste his since his straw ended up melting! For future reference, this is the shot that made me make a new rule for myself: no shots.

On the way back to the room on Friday night, I tripped going up the stairs and woke up Saturday morning with a swollen, bruised, and scabbed left knee! And, boy, do I wish that was all the hurting I felt from our first night in Jamaica. But, those who know and love me know that I get the worst hangovers known to mankind. For those who didn't know this, being in Jamaica does not make you immune to such things. No sir. I did, indeed, wake up with what may possibly be the worst hangover of my life. :(

Luckily, it rained all day long. Literally, not one drop of sunshine. Thank goodness. I was in bed or on the bathroom floor until about 5:00 at which time we had dinner reservations. Mark (who was SO great all day - drawing me a bubble bath, bringing me food, and watching silly chick flicks with me) convinced me that once I got up and moving I'd be fine. Not true. Not true at all. We skipped our previously scheduled dinner and met up with our new friends from NYC at more casual place where I had to excuse myself numerous times throughout the meal. We ended up back at the pub and, honestly, just walking into the place made me sick to my stomach. I made Mark take me back to the room and, after emptying my stomach one last time, I finally felt like myself again. It was 10:00!!! At that time we decided to take a dip in the pool but not before grabbing our new friends from the pub. We swam and hung out in the hot tub and just enjoyed our new friends' last night in Jamaica. All's well that ends well, I say. But, what a day!

We woke up early Sunday morning to the knock of room service at our door (which we did EVERY morning on this trip) and had the front desk call us a cab to take us to Dunns River Falls. When the taxi pulled up, we found out that we had an entire 28 passenger bus all to ourselves!!!

We drove about an hour and a half to the falls where we had a great time! It wasn't as easy as I thought it was going to be. It wasn't difficult either but there were definitely some places where we couldn't see where to step and I almost fell on my face a few times. In fact, I fell onto a rock and banged up my good knee! At the exit of the falls was a small craft mart where local Jamaicans peddle their wares. We were in good spirits at first but, as we left with two necklaces, a wooden Red Stripe mug, a small wooden turtle, and a painted Jamaican couple with our names carved into them, Mark said all he wanted was to get back to the resort. His friend Toby had warned us that we'd be taken by those guys because we are both such softies and they don't all take no for an answer. Oh well. We have souvenirs!

After the falls, we stopped by the Dunns River Sandals for lunch and were very impressed with the place. Especially the beach. It was beautiful and beckoned to us to take a dip. So, after lunch and a quick swim, we started back to our resort.
On the drive back to the resort, our cabbie stopped at the side of the road for us to buy something they call ginnups or Jamaican sea grapes. You bite into the skin, pop the seed into your mouth, suck the juices off of it, and then put it back into the skin. Mark liked them. I tried it at least!

Our driver, Leslie, was great. He took us to the falls on one route, we even stopped at a local rest stop and bought Jamaican Red Bull and Vitamin Water (I know, not very "When in Rome..."). He then took us a different way home, explaining the sights to us along the way. Did you know that Jamaica is a major producer of boxite? We didn't.

Sunday's dinner was at the resort's french restaurant, Le Jardinier. One of the luxuries of going all-inclusive is that you can order one of everything on the menu. So, for appetizers we did just that. Guess what I tried? Can you guess? That's right - escargot!!! And, you know what? It really wasn't too bad. It tasted like chewy, buttery, garlic. It's a mind over matter thing though and I had to chew it and swallow it as quickly as possible but at least I tried it. After dinner, we went to a drumming/dancing show and then for our nightly dip in the pool. The pub is closed on Sundays.

We awoke on Monday morning to find the sun shining brightly and calling us to come bask in its warmth. We took a boat over to the resort's private island, previously known as Kokomo, and relaxed by the pool. When exploring the island, we found this sign: And, yes, we tried it. For about 10 minutes we were scrunched up in water that was about a foot deep. Until we realized just how public this "private" beach was. At that time, the pool bar had opened and we were in need of a drink or two. Unfortunately, they didn't have any bananas on the island so no coladas for me. We spent the rest of the afternoon on the mainland, in the pool, at the bar, and sleeping in chaise lounges. Ahhh, perfect relaxation.

For dinner on our last night, we took the boat back to the island and the resort's Royal Thai restaurant. Another new thing for me. It was delicious and romantic and a perfect way to wrap up our trip.

Because our flight back to L.A. wasn't until 4:50 in the afternoon, we were able to check out on Tuesday morning but then continue to enjoy the resort for a couple of hours. We swam and I had a couple of banana coladas one last time, we ate lunch, and then we were off to the airport.

To REALLY put icing on this vacation cake, we flew Air Jamaica direct from Montego Bay to LAX and not only were our bags free (Spirit charged us $15 each to take them there) but we recieved a hot dinner, complimentary champagne, free headphones, and an in-flight movie!

We really are lucky to have been afforded the opportunity to take this vacation. Had Hurricane Dean not "interrupted" our honeymoon, I don't know when we would have had this experience. Life is good.